Putin formally annexes Crimea as Ukraine, Europe sign deal

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Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, second right, and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, right, hold their books during a signing ceremony at an EU summit in Brussels on Friday, March 21, 2014. Ukraine’s prime minister has pulled his nation closer into Europe’s orbit, signing a political association agreement with the EU at a summit of the bloc’s leaders. Friday’s agreement between Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and the EU leaders was part of the pact that former President Viktor Yanukovych backed out of last November in favor of a $15 billion bailout from Russia. That decision sparked the protests that ultimately led to his downfall and flight last month, setting off one of Europe’s worst political crises since the Cold War. From left, Slovenian Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and British Prime Minister David Cameron. (AP Photo/Olivier Hoslet, Pool)